Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva Rosado 2012

I love the rosé 2012 Viña Tondonia Rosado Gran Reserva, perhaps the finest vintage (together with the 2010) of the modern releases produced again since 2008. It's a textbook example of this unusual rosé a blend of 60% Garnacho (they use the masculine form of the name of the grape), 30% Tempranillo and 10% Viura that matured in American oak barrels for four years, during which time the wine acquired an orange color and a nutty nose with notes of candied orange peel, mushroom and forest floor. It's only 12.5% alcohol and has a pH of 3.3. 15,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in April 2018.

A beautiful and extremely complex rosé with a sanguine hue. Deep and complex with subtle aromas of savory plums, caramel, resin, dried strawberries, blood oranges and exotic herbs. Full-bodied and comfortably chewy, with amazing, zesty acidity cutting it through. Long and savory, but bright, with some walnut in the finish. This almost has an Oloroso feel. Goes on and on. Drink or hold.

Deeper in colour than the 2011 release - a reflection of the hotter year perhaps? - this is a bold, concentrated rosé. Garnacha-based with 30% Tempranillo and 10% Viura, it has
serious, savoury complexity, rose petal and autumn leaf aromas, tangy red fruit and subtle oxygenation. Few wines can compete with the nuance of this unique style. 2022-30